Tree Branches
by theroadkillcafe
Summary: Side stories to The Company of Trees


It was no small thing, creeping into a clan neighborhood with none the wiser. It wasn't just sneaking past a dozen or more shinobi with specialized skills; clan neighborhoods resembled the clan hideouts from the old Warring Clans Era, and were riddled with traps. Nowadays, it was to dissuade foreign invaders. Before, it was to protect them from other clans in Konoha, when the village was new and everyone wary of the other.

But Tenzou wasn't an elite shinobi for nothing. It was by no means _easy_ sneaking through Hanarakuen. Certainly the Senju didn't want any trouble falling upon their brand new and very vulnerable heir. But Tenzou had the benefit of not only being native to Konoha, but having Hashirama's cells.

He tensed as Tatema drifted near his hiding place. He strolled by, naginata wrapped and balanced on his shoulder. The Raijin of the Senju was not someone Tenzou had any interest in fighting. In point of fact, Tenzou dearly hoped the Senju continued to remain ignorant of his identity. He wanted no part of clan life.

With the path clear once more, he continued on. He had already checked three training fields for Haruno Sakura, with no luck. It had taken him a few weeks to even divine her training times, and her two mentors, but Tenzou had no idea if he would come upon her training with Tenjouma or Enchuuma. He could only hope she was actually practicing with the Mokuton when he arrived.

A half hour later, Tenzou finally alighted upon the new Senju heir in the midst of her training. He covertly settled himself in a distant tree and hoped neither of them had a penchant for sensory abilities. There would be an untold number of consequences if he was discovered.

"My, she seems to have excellent chakra control, don't you think, Tenzou?"

Tenzou didn't hesitate in his strike, even when he realized halfway through that his target was Kakashi. The older shinobi shifted just so as to dodge the kunai that would have skewered him through the eye.

"It's a worse idea for you to be here than me," Tenzou replied, ignoring the way he nearly maimed his former superior officer. Kakashi was an affiliate of the Uchiha clan. If the Senju caught him, there would be accusations of spying and illegal obtainment of clan knowledge. Though there was no doubt that the Senju wouldn't be any happier by his own presence.

Kakashi waved his book. "That's if they ever find out I was here."

They both fell silent when they felt a burst of chakra. Below, a small girl was manipulating an undulating tree. It curled ominously around Tenjouma, all while steadily developing branches. It was indeed an impressive display of control. The effort it took was demonstrated by the sweat beading on her brow. Holes lined the back of her shirt and sleeves. She had control *now*, but it was tenuous.

"You must not falter," Tenjouma lectured her. "Else you could kill your own allies. We will continue until this tree is five meters tall."

"Yes, Tenjouma-ojiisama," Sakura gritted out. The tree curled ever higher. Tenzou felt his brows lift as he noted her lack of hand seals. She seemed to have an ability to creatively manipulate the Mokuton that he had struggled for. He also noted the way her trees were natural looking in a way his were not. He took pride in the smooth appearance of his Mokuton; it made it easier to provide shelter for his teammates or experiment with architecture. But her Mokuton wouldn't look out of place in an old growth forest. The bark was rough, the branches grew in whatever direction they pleased, the leaves were richly colored and dense.

"Low activation barrier, but difficulty in controlling it once it has been triggered," Kakashi noted. Tenzou nodded. Without a larger population, there was no way to tell if that that was due to a difference in origins of the Mokuton or a natural difference between users.

"She has a lot of potential, if she can keep it under control," Kakashi continued.

Tenzou frowned. "But is her potential as great as the Shodai's?" It was a comparison he himself often heard, and failed to live up to. Likely, Sakura had the same burden already. There was nothing he could do to prevent that.

Kakashi didn't betray his thoughts, though Tenzou hadn't expected him to. "The young life of a shinobi," he sighed instead.

"How many others have made it in here to see her?" Tenzou asked.

"Just us, I think."

They lapsed into silence again, watching her train. After the exercise with the single tree, she was directed into growing and shrinking a small copse. There was a lot of potential there. Potential for success, and potential for danger. Danzou, Tenzou knew, had to be planning a way to get her under his influence. Not that the Senju would make it easy for him. There were bloodline thieves, and shinobi keen to divine the secrets of other jutsu, and Konoha's enemies besides. The Senju would shield her from them all, until she was capable of defending herself and the clan in turn.

There was an unfamiliar seething sensation that grew in his chest the longer he watched that Tenzou ruthlessly shoved aside. What did it matter that she received the protection of a clan and he didn't? What did it matter that she would likely never know the feeling of being poked and prodded? That she would never know what it felt like to be stored away until someone needed her? It was more important to prevent those things from happening, so that she could be not just another shinobi in Konoha's ranks, but a symbol that the village needed. And he never wanted to be in a clan anyway, he reminded himself.

"What do you think?" asked Kakashi.

Tenzou frowned down at her. She was utterly defenseless now, whatever the future might hold, unable to protect herself, much less the village. The Senju clan might not be enough. They were small and diminished from their former glory. But, Tenzou supposed, that's what you had shadow agents for. He unconsciously gripped the tree he took shelter in.

"I think she has her work cut out for her."


End file.
